1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an improved impingement system for rifles and more particularly to an improved piston operating impingement system and anti-wear bolt carrier for use with AR-15 and AR-10 rifles, as well as other related rifle platforms, e.g., the M4 and M16 rifles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Replacing the AR-15 and AR-10 OEM impingement system is not a new concept. Early on it was recognized in the industry that the exhausting of discharged gases into a bolt carrier and upper receiver of a rifle caused excessive amounts of heat and debris to be deposited in the action of the rifle causing parts to prematurely wear and become less reliable. Because of these issues many attempts have been made to replace the OEM impingement system with a reliable, cooler, cleaner, and lower maintenance operating system.
The obvious disadvantage of the OEM impingement system is that its operating system requires the discharging of hot, dirty gases from the barrel to be routed through the bolt carrier to cycle the rifle's action. The heat and debris deposited into the rifles action is essentially blown dry by subsequent firing, removing lubricant and leaving only heat and debris behind causing the rifle to become less reliable. Furthermore, the heat and baked on debris causes excessive wear and fatigue of the rifles critical components.
Many systems have been developed to replace the OEM impingement system. Some require replacing major rifle components up to, and in some cases, including the upper receiver assembly. Others require a gunsmith for installation. These requirements are costly and unnecessary.
Some manufacturers have designed systems that do not require replacement of major rifle components or require a gunsmith for installation and, thus, provide an improvement over the OEM impingement system and previous systems. One such system is sold by Adams Arms and CMMG Inc. The problems with the existing systems are numerous. Existing systems are not capable of being used with both the AR-15 and AR-10 rifle platforms interchangeably. Existing systems also can not interchange between the various length gas systems without a costly replacement of their entire operating rod. Existing systems are limited by what ammunition they can fire and are not capable of having a low profile gas block.
Existing systems also have no solution for a condition known as carrier tilt, which results from the carrier being struck off axis by the operating rod causing the carrier to tilt downward at the rear and upward at the front. The downward tilt results in damage to the buffer tube, while the upward tilt results in excessive force and wear on the upper receiver. This damage may necessitate costly parts replacement.
What is needed and not heretofore provided by the existing art is a convertible gas piston conversion system for the AR-15 and AR-10 rifle platforms to replace the impingement system of the OEM rifle and improve on the existing piston systems. What is further needed is a piston system capable of being used interchangeably between the AR-15 and AR-10, a system that can interchange between various length gas systems without costly part replacement, a system that is efficient enough not to limit ammunition caliber selection, and a system that facilitates the use of a low profile gas block and a system that solves the carrier tilt problem.